STOCKS FALL TO END WORST MONTH SINCE MAY 2012: Here's What You Need To Know

REUTERS/Daniel MunozA man reacts as a performer dressed in a Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur costume walks next to him during a publicity event in central Sydney, August 28, 2013. The S&P 500 just ended its worst month since May 2012. But considering all of the geopolitical uncertainty, it could've been worse.

First, the scoreboard:

• Dow: 14,820, -19.9, -0.1%
• S&P 500: 1,634.8, -3.2, -0.2%
• NASDAQ: 3,594.3, -26.0, -0.7%

And now, the top stories:

• Volatility briefely touched the oil and stock markets as Secretary of State John Kerry addressed Syrian President Assad's attack on his people. "The primary question is no longer what do we know," Kerry said. "It is what are we in the world going to do about it?"
• Three key U.S. economic reports hit this morning. First was the July personal income and outlays report. Income climbed by just 0.1%, which was less than the 0.2% expected by economists. Spending rose by just 0.1%, which was below the 0.3% expected.
• The Univversity of Michigan's final August measure of consumer sentiment came in at 82.1, which was better than the 80.5 expected by economists. Still, this is down from July's six-month high of 85.1.
• The closely watched Chicago PMI climbed to 53.0 in August from 52.3 in July. However, the employment sub-index fell to 54.9 from 56.6. "Yes the Chi PMI employment pulled back slightly but there was a big jump in new orders to 57.2," tweeted BTIG's Dan Greenhaus. "Chi PMi has highest correl with natl ISM."
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